TUCSON, Ariz. – Veteran Arizona gymnastics coach John Court will have 'interim' removed from his current title and will serve as the Wildcats' head coach moving forward, Director of Athletics Dave Heeke announced on Wednesday. Court was on the UA staff for 19 years as an assistant coach before being tabbed interim head coach prior to the 2017-18 season.
 
"John has been an asset to Arizona gymnastics for 20 years, and we believe he is prepared to lead our program to new levels in the coming years," Heeke said. "John stepped up during a difficult coaching transition prior to this season and has provided the leadership and stability needed for our student-athletes to compete at a high level. He's earned the opportunity to be our head coach and we think he will to a tremendous job in this role."
 
During the 2018 campaign, Court has led the GymCats to some program milestones. Arizona started the season by producing the third-highest opening meet score since 2000. Then, in a meet at Arkansas on March 2, the Wildcats set a school record on balance beam with a score of 49.525 and posted a 49.375 on uneven bars, which ranks sixth on UA's all-time list. In addition, the Cats drew 3,446 fans to the home opener this year, which is the third-highest attendance in program history.
 
"I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity to serve as Arizona's head gymnastics coach on a full-time basis," said Court. "I've worked extremely hard for the past two decades to bring out the best in our program and I'm looking forward to taking it to another level in the years to come. I want to thank our coaching staff and student-athletes for their hard work and dedication over the last seven months. Without that, I'm not sure I'd be in this position. I also want to thank our athletics director Dave Heeke and the administration for having faith in me to lead this program. Arizona is a special place and we have a special gymnastics program. Now, we can focus on finishing this season strong and building for the future."
 
Court's extensive experience includes nearly two decades working with Arizona's vault and floor exercise teams. He has also served as the Wildcats' recruiting coordinator throughout much of his career, efforts that have helped extend the program's streak of NCAA regional appearances to 31-consecutive years, including a trip to the 2002 NCAA Championships. Additionally, Court has developed numerous all-conference and All-America honorees both in the gym and the classroom.
 
The 2007 and 2012 South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, Court has mentored some of Arizona's top gymnasts. Included are Heidi Hornbeek, recipient of the 2000 AAI Award, Monica Bisordi, the program's all-time scoring leader and a multi-time All-American, Karin Wurm, the 2008 Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and 2014 All-American Kristen Klarenbach. The quartet is among a half-dozen gymnasts who have garnered All-America recognition during Court's time on staff.
 
Before coaching at Arizona, Court spent five years at the University of Vermont, his last three years 1995-98 serving as head coach. During those years, he was named ECAC Coach of the Year twice. Prior to Vermont, Court spent two years as an assistant coach at Brown University under his mother and legendary gymnastics coach Jackie Court, who coached there for 33 years.
 
Court is a 1993 graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a B.S. in marketing. He received his master's degree in public/athletic administration from the University of Vermont in 1995.